Hamas on Tuesday faced accusations of breaching the Gaza ceasefire after returning partial remains of a previously recovered hostage instead of the body of another deceased captive, as demanded by Israel.
Hamas handed over late on Monday what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10.
However, Israeli forensic examination determined that Hamas had in fact handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel around two years ago, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
Netanyahu's office and a campaign group representing hostage families accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal.
The premier's office decried a "clear violation of the agreement" after identification procedures revealed the latest remains belonged "to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago".
It added that Netanyahu would "hold a security discussion with the heads of the security establishment to discuss Israel's steps in response".
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the government to take action.
"In light of Hamas's severe breach of the agreement last night... the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations," the forum said.
"Hamas knows the location of the hostages and continues to act with contempt, deceiving the United States and mediators while dishonouring our loved ones."
'Break its legs'
Israel's far-right national security minister also accused Hamas of stalling the release of the remaining bodies, which he said proved "the terrorist organisation is still standing".
"It is time to break its legs once and for all," he added. "We must demand its very disappearance and destroy it completely."
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also piled on the pressure for Netanyahu to act against what he called Hamas's "repeated and ongoing violations".
In a post on X, he urged Netanyahu to re-arrest all those "terrorists who were released in the hostage deal to Judea and Samaria", using the Israeli Biblical term for the occupied West Bank.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem on Monday protested that the claim the group knew the location of the remaining missing bodies was "false", arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year conflict had left locations unrecognisable.
"We are determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible," he said.
Hamas has already returned all 20 living hostages as agreed in the ceasefire deal.
Third set of remains
During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas militants took 251 people hostage, most of whom had been released, rescued or recovered before this month's ceasefire.
The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza killed at least 68,531 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
Despite the ceasefire, the toll has continued to climb as more bodies are found under the rubble. The health ministry also reports that 94 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took hold.
The family of Ofir Tzarfati confirmed on Tuesday that some of his remains were returned to Israel the previous night, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
Tzarfati was at the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was "abducted into captivity, where he was murdered", the forum said.
It added that this was the third time remains belonging to him had been returned, after his body was recovered at the end of 2023, and additional remains were returned in March 2024.
"This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son," Tzarfati's family were quoted as saying in the statement.
"The circle supposedly 'closed' back in December 2023, but it never truly closes."
By Alice CHANCELLOR/AFP
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